Many Islamic religious leaders regularly call for Muslims to head out and kill infidels - be the Jews, Christians, Sunnis or Shiites. The State Dept never even burps when that happens. Why does Rav Ovadia (who regularly insults and offends most Jews) give them indigestion?

Its non of their business if an Israeli private citizen speaks his mind. If a US citizen said the same thing in America he would be exercising his constitutional right of freedom of speech. Its a foreign concept to the Middle East and I know how much Obama loves the arabs but in Israel we allow free speech. The very fact we let him make this remarks and do nothing is a credit to Israels willingness to tolerate free speech. If this had been an arab state he would have been invited to come for a few friendly questions by the secret police and never heard from again. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef is not an MK he is not taking part in any talks in the US. His remarks might not exactly be the words of a diplomat but they are not hurting anybody unless you count a few hurt feelings in the enemy camp. Those comments are also not going to be the thing that makes of breaks talks so its not doing any political damage. Who cares what Robert Crowley, his boss or the palestinians think. Israel is not their country, Ovadia Yosef is not a US citizen so its non of their business so they should butt out for a change.

If an imam would ever say the same thing about Jewish terrorists (maybe Baruch Goldstein) I would support their right to say it and support their hopes that G-d should punish the terrorists. How can I do anything else when Ovadya Josef makes such statements?

and religious freedom.Rabbi Ovadia Yosef has in a sermon wished for divine intervention and the downfall of the enemies of Israel. There certainly was no incitement to murder or terrorism. So what is the problem here? That he is in good judgement on Abbas and has a nice suit? The whinings of State Department and its left liberal groupies are only pathetic. Furthermore rabbi Ovadia is a torah gigant and to call him lunatic, insane or senile is not only unwarranted, it's deeply offensive. In fact it says a lot of the intelligence and character of such defamers. And no he is not condemned by every Jewish person, not even by every Christian!

weird they can condemn a comment by a random rabbi but can't bring themselves to condemn the LAF for opening fire on Israelis. I am waiting for Juan Cole to reinterpret the words...

a) he doesn't actually run Israel as opposed to Khameni despite the pathetic attempt by AFP to make the parallel b) He hasn't actually sentenced any Palestinians to death unlike the Iranian clerics c) he doesn't even sit in the government unlike the clerics in Iran who run the government there.

says what about you?

Bibi does go to this guy's synagogue.

Khameni RUNS Iran. It is like quoting a small town crazy US preacher and pretending he is president of the US.

Just read the comments here to make sure that Rabbi Yosef is not a lone!! This shows you what is the extent of their hatred and malice toward Palestinians. REALLY SHAME ON THEM! Yakov , Are you against what that Rabbi Yosef said ONLY because it is leads in the wrong direction ?! just an innocent question ;)

You haven't noticed it yet? Tell me again next week when we go over to Winter Time next week, two months before the rest of the Northern Hemisphere. One could go on and on with examples of their power, even without bringing money into the picture.

Freedom to not have your speech criticized. He had a right to say what he said and the US has the right to criticize what he said. If you want criticism-free speech, you have to be a party member in a place like North Korea. So Christian, are some genocides OK and not others?

the entire P movement is one giant incitement against Israel

What i find amazing is why anyone takes the rantings of this mad man seriously. Ovadia Yosef who likes to dress up in a turban and purple glasses as head of the Shas cult. These people hide behind the cloak of religion to discuise their criminal activty, which so amounts to 7 shas MKs being jailed. Its about time they put him out to pasture or at the very least change his medication .

Unlike the Iranian madman and the multitude of Imams who incessantly call for their followers to kill Jews (which never seems to be condemned), R' Ovadia did NOT direct any person to take any physical action against anyone. Quite the opposite. He was asking for G-d to take action. How can this be a provocation? G-d will do what is right whether R' Ovadia asks for it or not. If it is the right thing it will come to pass BECAUSE it is the right thing. If it is wrong then no matter what R' Ovadia or anyone else says it will not happen. Perhaps they are all so up in arms because they themselves fear that G-d, in his perfect wisdom will determine that it IS the right thing?

In the eyes of Obama administration, no even if they rread with a magnifying glass all the writings in the ME. Or maybe they read nothing written by Muslims.

In Israel they have freedom of speech. So it is in USA. The Obama government is in confusion. The government is "vorbei" within 2,5 years.

Hi, I am against hate, regardless of whom or where it comes from. I am against leaders who abuse the freedoms we have worked so hard for, through statements, like the Rabbi's, that serve only to perpetuate antagonism. I am against leaders that refuse to embrace this chance for peace, and use this critical time to widen that gap between us. His statements serve no good to either Jews or Palestinians.

Mahmoud Abbas and Yasser Arafat had been trained and mentored by the Mufti Hajj Amin, one of the top leaders of Hitler's Final Solution, who bequeathed to his protégés an Islamist and antisemitic genocidal ideology. Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas’s ‘Plan of Phases,’ which specified that PLO/Fatah would announce limited goals, such as a ‘Palestinian state’ in the disputed territories, so that it could build a platform from which to pursue “its ultimate goal of Israel’s annihilation”. Rav Ovadia is right on target.

Tahnks to the Rabbi for leading us on a pathe that a quick look around shows we are getting the Torah curses. The curse that if we sin a vile no nation will be promoted over us. A non-nation and a non-people. Hmmm. Who is a made up people? Who is a nation with no GNP? Who is not even a nation? Thanks Rabbi for promoting these non-Torah ways and making our enemies stronger. Alien non-torah traditions and instructing us to lie to G-d's face that he commanded them in our prayers. One might think yo want Abas to have more strength in our curses. After all you know Torah says this. I think its your fault. What is protexia coming to get me now?

If Rabbi Yosef had cursed all the Palestinian Arabs,I suppose that all this invective might have some basis.But he only lambasted the evil ones;hardly a call for genocide.Elimination of evil seems a reasonable aim. Just suppose that the Rabbi had stated a wish for the elimination of the evil members of al Qa'ida and the Afghan Taliban,what would be the State Department's response?Would they criticise it as unhelpful or,as I suspect,shout "Amen,amen!!!"? THREE CHEERS FOR ISRAEL!!!

He is a honest man, I just like him...

i think that somebody i don't know who or when should open their eyes they that they are the chosen ppl i don't understand how god chooses a nation that hates other nations and think that we should be slaves to them and when we are a problem we should die somebody must open their eyes ,,,i feel sorry for the ppl who think the same way .its very sad to have a religious man and a leader who think this diabolic way ..its a big shame...

in every mosque all over the Arab world. I never heard the US protest that.

They tell a distorted and half story. So just to re-iterate for those many who just mouth off rubbish. 1. The Rav was bringing into play the Rosh Hashanna lituergy "where one requets the all mighty to vanquish all the enemies of the Jewish people" - Note that please requesting the " all might ", and all Jews do this on Rosh Hashanna, so those that have come on saying bla bla bal against the Rabbi must have been on Mars for the last two thousand years. And by the way if Abas and teh Palistinians are not our enemy they won't have anything to fear. 2. He also said that he wished for peace and for geniune peace land could be given up. So to all those who are ranting against the Rav, if you are Jewish add a few more al hets on Yom Kippur. If you not you wouldn't understand anyway. And I would love to know how may of you hypocrites have been on the Iranian and Hamas and Nuti Karta web sites bombarding them in indignation

No less offensive than Obama's position towards Israel since taking office.

For years now PA Tv and Hamas TV have taught three year old children that Jews should be killed and even how to kill them. From an Arab speaking Micky Mouse to Sesame Street Palestinian children are taught to hate Jews and how to become martyrs.

This ignorant American should know his place and not be telling a gerat Rabbi what he should or should not say. As for offensive how is naming streets and summer camps after mass muderers of Israeli citizens or calling the holocaust a lie to be taken. Mr Crowley get back in your box.

what about the daily brain washing in schools and TV that the palestinians do on the children convincing them that the best thing to do in life is to kill jews.How do you call this, and what is done about this:denial as usual. We must stop the this idiocy of flagelating ourselves.